Chapter 39

                                    

                                          
6:00 p.m. Thursday, 12th July 2029
Crew Room on the OCF

To his surprise, Toby discovered that the gruesome task he'd had to perform hadn't affected his appetite in the least. He let the two women recount the details of what had transpired on the blimp while he devoured an unidentified pre-prepared meal.
"Whatever this is, it's good," he remarked to Rob.
"I know," Rob replied. "It's one of the special creations that were sent up for the kids. I think that's one of Aliya's."
Summers interrupted Toby's enjoyment by asking him a question.
"What d'you think will happen when the Atikas get the courier?"
Toby reluctantly put down his fork.
"The second they open the lids on the containers the bacteria will be released into the air. According to the document I was editing from the research lab in Tampa, the virus has been classed as hypervirulent which means it will spread rapidly and is extremely infectious. If the Atikas remove the brains from the containers and start dissecting them it will spread even faster. In an enclosed environment, it could infect every living thing within hours.
Tests showed that it's 100% fatal to rodents and that death occurs in less than a day after infection. The lab plan to market it as the ultimate answer to rat infestations on Earth."
Summers seemed satisfied with that and Toby went back to his meal.
"Jayal, the secretary of state has asked if you can give an assessment of what will happen on Vitu if all the Atikas die. Who will take control? How will the Manitan react? That sort of thing. Can you think about it and let me know later?"
#
Jayal wanted some time alone to consider Summers' question so Toby stayed in the crew room talking to Rob.
"The boss and I spent the day unpacking the supply container I unloaded from Tuesday night's shuttle. I didn't feel up to it yesterday. I was still a bit shaky."
"Are you okay today?"
"Yeah, but I think Summers is feeling the strain. He's been really quiet and keeps disappearing off on his own for hours."
"I'm not surprised. I think we're all going to need a long holiday after this."
"That's what he told me. He's arranged for a replacement comms guy to come up with the test team next Tuesday. He's given me two weeks paid R&R."
"You deserve it."
"Sure. Anyway, the best news is that the caterers at Kennedy didn't know the kids were going back so they've sent a stack of their favourite meals, and we've got the next four days to work our way through them!"
#
Later that evening Jayal told Summers she'd thought about the situation on Vitu and had come to some conclusions. Summers told her to go ahead.
The Manitan elite would realize within a couple of days that something had happened to the Atikas, Jayal reasoned. Instructions and orders would stop coming out of Caranal and food deliveries would not be taken in. It had been known for a long time that the Atikas were weakening and would die out unless they obtained the supernal, so she was reasonably sure the Manitan elite would have planned for the possibility that one day that might happen.
It would probably take them weeks to break into Caranal and get control of the electricity and water supplies in order to maintain a hold over the lower castes. However, even the elite caste did not have the knowledge needed to create intelligence units, so they would have no use for Manitan children.
The workers would still have to work and supply food for the higher castes but they would no longer be forced to give up their children. That would be a huge improvement in their lives and it would make no practical difference to them that the elite caste was now in control instead of the Atikas.
In the short term, Jayal considered that Vitu would carry on as normal and that the people would be far happier than before.
In the long term, the intelligence units would begin to fail and the infrastructure would gradually disintegrate. Essential supplies would become unreliable and eventually stop and then the population of Vitu would revert back to a more primitive way of life.
Summers had listened carefully to Jayal and he only asked one question.
"So you don't think that the workers will organize themselves into any sort of military force to stage a revolution against the higher castes?"
Jayal shook her head. "No, the concept of large military forces, or armies, as you have on Earth doesn't exist on Vitu."
Summers thanked Jayal and said he would find a way to get that message across to the secretary of State who had been concerned that their actions might cause a civil war son Vitu.
#
Jayal traced circles on Toby's chest as they lay squeezed together in his narrow bunk. Then she ran her hand over his bicep.
"When we get to Oronsay do you think I'll grow big muscles like you?" she asked.
"No, I'll buy you a cement mixer," he replied sleepily.
"What do you mean? What's that?"
Toby explained that when he had rebuilt his cottage he had mixed all the cement by hand. That's how he got the muscles.
"What is cement?" Jayal asked innocently.
"It's like thick glue for sticking bricks together to build walls."
"What's a brick?"
"Are you going to ask me what a wall is next?"
She slapped him playfully.
"I know what a wall is!"
"Well, when we get to Oronsay and you see my walls you'll find out what bricks are. Now can we go to sleep?"
"It's nice that your secretary of state was worried about what might happen on Vitu wasn't it? He must be a good person."
"I'm sure he is, but it's strange that he didn't ask that question before we sent the courier. There's nothing he could do now to prevent a war on Vitu, so what was the point of asking?"